“ | New Lies, New Liars. | ” |
— Seasonal Quote(s)
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Season 1 is the premiere and only season of the Freeform series, Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists. It was announced on September 25, 2017[3]. It was ordered to series on May 15, 2018, with a ten-episode order.[1] On September 27, 2019, Deadline reported that Freeform had canceled Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists after a single season.
Summary
Everything about the town of Beacon Heights seems perfect, from its top-tier college to its overachieving residents — but nothing in Beacon Heights is as it appears to be. When the high-stakes environment pushes the residents to a breaking point, someone snaps and kills someone. As they work together to solve the murder mystery, it soon becomes clear that behind every Perfectionist is a secret, a lie — and a needed alibi. “Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists” is based on the novel “The Perfectionists” with characters from the novel “Pretty Little Liars,” by Sara Shepard.[4]
Cast
Main Cast
Special Guest Star
Recurring Cast
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Guest Cast
Uncredited
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Notes and Trivia
- The television series is only inspired by the book The Perfectionists by Sara Shepard.[13] However, the television series is very different from the books and many characters from the books do not exist in the series.
- The series became available to watch on GloboPlay for Brazilian fans,[14].[15]
- On December 4, 2017, it was confirmed that casting was underway for six series regulars joining Alison (Sasha Pieterse) and Mona (Janel Parrish) in the upcoming PLL spinoff The Perfectionists.[16]
- On January 29, 2018 TV Line broke the news that Sofia Carson, best known for starring in Disney Channel’s Descendants movies, would be playing Ava Jalali, “a beautiful trendsetting blogger and coder, who strives to be a fashion icon.” [17]
- On March 9, 2018, Deadline broke the news that Kelly Rutherford, best known for her work on the CW's Gossip Girl, would be playing Claire Hotchkiss, "the matriarch of the Hotchkiss family and the founder of Hotchkiss Industries and the respected Beacon Heights University. Claire believes perfection is attainable and is the person who pulls the strings behind the scenes to get what she wants."
- On March 9, 2018 TV Line broke the news that Sydney Park, best known for her role on The Walking Dead, would be playing Caitlin Martell-Lewis, "the perfect daughter of two perfect mothers” who would one day like to follow in her Senator mother’s footsteps with a career in politics."
- On March 9, 2018 TV Line broke the news that newcomer Eli Brown would be playing Dylan Walker, "a talented cellist who’s deeply committed to his two passions, his music, and his boyfriend Andrew. As a result of feeling judged in his small hometown, he now “feels the need to be the best in all of his endeavors."
- On March 9, 2018 TV Line broke the news that Hayley Erin, best known for her role on General Hospital, would be playing a "mysterious, unnamed role".
- During filming for the Pilot, it was revealed via Kelly Rutherford's Instagram Story that Jacques Colimon would play the role of Andrew. Jacques was later replaced by Evan Bittencourt in the role.
- Alison and Emily's twin daughters, Lily and Grace are seen in the show as toddlers.[18]
- Mona will have a potential love interest.
- The official trailer was released on June 21st, 2018 on the show's official Facebook and Instagram pages.[19]
- Filming for the rest of the season began in October 2018.[20]
- On October 27, 2018, Marlene King confirmed a Spring 2019 release date for the series.[21]
- On November 28, 2018, it was announced that Garrett Wareing was set for a recurring role, where Wareing would play Zach, a BHU sophomore currently working three jobs to stay in school, and still manages to maintain stellar grades. He is described as having a tough exterior that hides a sensitive soul who can make anyone melt. [22]
- On December 7, 2018 Sara Shepard the author of the Pretty Little Liars and The Perfectionists book series revealed she knows about this Wikia and has used the Wikia and called it a good resource/source of information. [23]
- On December 13, 2018, Marlene confirmed that the audience would see an anti-hero version of Mona.[24]
- She also confirmed that Mona would have a love interest.[25]
- On December 19, 2018 Graeme Thomas King teased that clothes would be coming off for his character (and likely some shirtless scenes) that he'd need some tanning. He took a picture of TANPDX, a popular tanning salon located at: 1511 SW 12th Ave, Portland, OR 97201. [26] [27]
- On December 20, 2018, Sofia Carson has presumably wrapped up some of her scenes for what's left of 2018. [28]
- On January 5, 2019, Graeme Thomas King revealed he coming back to work when in one of his Instagram stories, it showed him arriving at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. [29]
- A teaser trailer was released via Twitter on January 24, 2019, the day the cast and crew finished production on the season.[30]
- A second teaser trailer was posted on January 25, 2019, via Twitter.[31]
- On September 25, 2017, it was confirmed by TVLine that Sasha and Janel would reprise their roles from the long-running series, Pretty Little Liars.[32]
- Two-years has passed since the events of Season 7.[33]
- Mona's appearance in the show will be told in a "hilarious and mysterious" way. [33]
- According to Sasha Pieterse, Mona and Alison are allies instead of enemies.[33]
- On October 18, 2017, Shay Mitchell in an interview confirmed that she’s “spoken here and there” with Pretty Little Liars boss Marlene King about appearing but that nothing concrete is in the works… yet.[34]
- According to Marlene King, the show filmed on location in Portland and the Pacific Northwest as much as possible, to stay true to the books "moody and creepy" weather.[35]
- The show used Portland’s Lewis and Clark College and Forest Grove’s Pacific University for the fictional Beacon Heights University.[36]
- They have also shot around areas like Lake Oswego, Oregon. [37]
- On May 14, 2018, the show was picked up to series.[38]
- On May 25, 2018,Sasha Pieterse stated that Alison has become "more mature" in the two-years since the Pretty Little Liars finale.[39]
- Filming for the rest of Season 1 began in October 2018.[40]
- Pretty Little Liars veteran writer Joseph Dougherty later announced that he had signed onto the season.[41]
- On July 9, 2018, I. Marlene King announced that their first day in the writers' room had begun.
- Pretty Little Liars alum, Ashley Benson, was originally believed to be directing an episode. She later ended up shadowing an episode with plans to direct an episode in Season 2 however that never came to pass because of the cancellation.
- The writers' room for Season 1 opened on July 9th, 2018.[42]
- The writers began the session by watching the pilot episode.
- On July 18th, 2018, I. Marlene King teased names for three original characters, two boys, and a girl. The names hinted were Zac or David[43], Edward or Luke[44], and Dana or Olivia[45]. The female character was also mentioned to have an antagonistic role of a nemesis.
- On August 20, 2018, Marlene posted a partially covered title of the second episode of the season.
- In a People magazine interview, Janel Parrish confirmed that the show is more "classy than it meets the eye" and deep down it's edgier and more risqué than the beginning of Pretty Little Liars.
- On September 12, 2018, Marlene revealed she is in Portland, Oregon. [46]
- On December 5, 2018 Marlene King revealed she was back in Portland, Oregon shooting on location for the season. [47][48]
- Janel Parrish's reaction to being cast in the spin-off and her thoughts on where Mona is now, was on the Pretty Little Liars Instagram account on January 5, 2019.[49]
- Sasha Pieterse's reaction to being cast in the spin-off was posted on the Pretty Little Liars Instagram account on January 9, 2019.[50]
- Sydney Park talked about her role in The Perfectionists on Pretty Little Liars Instagram account on January 15, 2019.[51]
- Sofia Carson's reaction to being cast in the spin-off was posted on the Pretty Little Liars Twitter account on January 19, 2019.[52]
- Graeme Thomas King's reaction to being cast in the spin-off was posted on his personal Instagram account on February 1, 2019, [53]
- On February 2, 2019, PLL: TP released the character portraits for Jeremy Beckett[54] and Claire Hotchkiss respectively. [55]
- On February 3, 2019, PLL: TP released the latest character portrait; this time being for Hayley Erin's as of yet to be revealed mystery character. [56]
- On February 5, 2019, it was confirmed that the show would premiere on March 20, 2019.[57]
- The first official trailer was released along with the premiere date.
- When asked if Alex Drake could return, Sasha and Janel, said that she could.[58]
- According to the cast and crew, the show can be watched without having any prior knowledge of PLL. [58]
- Mona brings Alison to Beacon Heights for a reason, which Alison is unaware of until she arrives. This creates an unlikely and fresh friendship that is rooted in brutal honesty.[58]
- The villain of the season tops Uber A according to Sasha and Janel.[58]
- Sasha Pieterse revealed that Alison is a TA (teachers assistant) and working on getting her master degree, "so that she can go back to Rosewood and provide for her family better". In where we find Mona & Ali on #PLLThePerfectionists. She later said that Alison wanted to get her degree so she could teach at Rosewood's local college and be a better mom and wife.
- An opening teaser was posted on Instagram and Twitter on February 11, 2019.[59]
- When asked about an Emison wedding, Sasha said that technically Emily and Alison are already married so there would not be an Emison wedding in the season. They also have beautiful twins who are still in the series.
- Contrary to what was previously stated, Lily and Grace DiLaurentis-Fields would not be making physical appearances in the show, and are still in Rosewood with Emily.[60]
- According to Sasha, Mona talks to Hanna all the time, Alison face times with her kids, which contributes to the nods to Pretty Little Liars.
- When talking about her character, Kelly Rutherford said, "Claire is the head of Hotchkiss Industries" which focuses on, "reconnaissance and security", which she created after her daughter went missing. HI was "her way of healing" while making sure that what happened to her daughter, "doesn't happen to other kids". [61]
- When speaking about the show, Sasha Pieterse said that her favorite scenes from the Pilot is Mona talking about why she left Paris, saying, "They've escaped me."[62]
- There are several Easter eggs to Pretty Little Liars throughout the season. [62]
- Alison goes to Beacon Heights to get her degree so she can return to Rosewood and teach at Hollis College[62]
- On Friday, March 15, 2019, the official PLL: TP Instagram page revealed a "travel to Oregon Sweepstakes". [63]
- Despite being credited as a Series Regular in press releases for the show, Chris Mason is actually credited as a Special Guest Star in the pilot episode.
- Nolan and Taylor appeared in a bonus scene in "Enter the Professor". It was part of a promotion for Disney's live-action, Aladdin. This was similar to Ali and Mona's bonus scene in "The Bin of Sin".
- On July 21, 2019, Marlene tweeted out that she continues to wait on whether or not this series gets a second season. [64]
- On September 27, 2019, Deadline reported that FreeForm had canceled Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists after a single season.
Storylines
Alison DiLaurentis
The beloved and notorious mean girl of Rosewood who faked her death to escape the tumultuous A, Alison travels to Beacon Heights to leave her past behind and start anew. She is soon pulled back into old habits after the town experiences their first murder and a fresh set of new liars stand accused.
Mona Vanderwaal
The complex and mysterious Rosewood alum, Mona relocated to Beacon Heights, Oregon seeking a fresh start from her tumultuous, dark past. She is soon pulled back into a slew of mystery and darkness, alongside her high school frenemy, after the town experiences its first murder.
Ava Jalali
A stylish trendsetter with a big personality, Ava hopes to have her own clothing line someday. But she has an edge over her fellow fashionistas: a brilliant technological mind, which she uses to blog and code. Just don’t ask her why her parents recently fled the country — it’s her one big secret.
Caitlin Park-Lewis
The intelligent, motivated and easy-on-the-eyes daughter of two over-achieving mothers, one of whom is a United States senator, Caitlin is an expert at hiding secrets. She hopes to follow in her mother’s political footsteps — that is, if the weight of her own secrets doesn’t crush her first.
Dylan Walker
A prodigious cellist who used his passion for music to escape his small-minded hometown, Dylan loves his music almost as much as he loves his boyfriend, Andrew.
Nolan Hotchkiss
A natural born leader, Nolan is the heir to his family’s empire. Though he puts forth the image of a golden boy, Nolan is actually a manipulator who uses his friends and family to maintain his image. Not a big fan of authority figures or the word “no,” Nolan isn’t used to losing.
Claire Hotchkiss
The matriarch of the Hotchkiss family, Claire (along with her husband) is the founder of Hotchkiss Industries and the respected Beacon Heights University. Claire believes perfection is attainable and is the person who pulls the strings behind the scenes to get what she wants.
Taylor Hotchkiss
A member of the respectable Hotchkiss family who decided to dedicate her time to help students who were under the high-pressure environment of BHU, Taylor faked her death in a suicide a year prior and has been secretly working against Hotchkiss Technologies ever since.
Jeremy Beckett
A handsome Brit with more abs than you can count with just your fingers, Jeremy is also described as “charming and witty.” What’s more, he’s also an intelligent scientist working for Hotchkiss Industries.
Andrew Villareal
Andrew is the supportive and well-adjusted boyfriend of Dylan, who is successfully navigating the world of the Perfectionists – for now.
Mason Gregory
A smart and athletic fellow student at Beacon Heights University. Mason is a natural born leader who can charm his way in and out of most situations, but there is something about him that keeps people guessing.
Dana Booker
The new head of security at Beacon Heights University, who is determined and perceptive almost to the point of omniscience. After recent events, she keeps Alison (Sasha Pieterse), Mona (Janel Parrish) and our Perfectionists on their toes.
Zach Fortson
A BHU sophomore currently working three jobs to stay in school, and still manages to maintain stellar grades. His tough exterior hides a sensitive soul who can make anyone melt.
Episodes
Image | Title | Original Airdate | No. in series | No. in season |
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Pilot | March 20, 2019 | 01 | 1.01 | |
Everything about the town of Beacon Heights seems perfect, from its top-tier college to its overachieving residents—but nothing in Beacon Heights is as it appears to be. When the high-stakes environment pushes the residents to a breaking point, someone snaps and kills someone. As they work together to solve the murder mystery, it soon becomes clear that behind every Perfectionist is a secret, a lie—and a needed alibi. | ||||
Sex, Lies and Alibis | March 27, 2019 | 02 | 1.02 | |
In the wake of Nolan’s murder, Ava, Caitlin and Dylan join forces to give themselves a credible alibi on the night in question. Alison goes toe to toe with Dana Booker, BHU’s new head of security, who is suspicious of Nolan’s “perfect” posse. And Mona starts slipping into old habits while wrestling with a guilty conscience. | ||||
...If One of Them is Dead | April 3rd, 2019 | 03 | 1.03 | |
The Perfectionists kick their investigating into high gear when they identify a possible suspect in Nolan’s murder. Alison begins to look into the circumstances surrounding the mysterious suicide of Taylor Hotchkiss. And seeing the Perfectionists juggle sleuthing with their intense academic demands, Alison decides to use her past in Rosewood as a way to mentor them through their current situation. | ||||
The Ghost Sonata | April 10, 2019 | 04 | 1.04 | |
Alison hunts for Taylor, thinking she may be alive and in hiding. Caitlin, Ava and Dylan realize their newfound true friendship is threatened by still buried secrets and debate coming clean to each other. And the Perfectionists try to tighten a noose around their number one suspect. | ||||
The Patchwork Girl | April 17, 2019 | 05 | 1.05 | |
Mona communicates with a mysterious stranger who promises insights into Nolan’s murder. Dylan struggles to concentrate on an important audition while being distracted by Dana Booker’s investigation. And the Perfectionists plan to clear their names ends in tragedy. | ||||
Lost and Found | April 24, 2019 | 06 | 1.06 | |
When Alison brings Mona into her investigation of Taylor, Mona makes a surprising discovery. While preparing for the campus fashion show, Ava comes into contact with Zach, a fellow student with an unexpected connection to her past. And the Perfectionists struggle to recover from recent events. | ||||
Dead Week | May 1, 2019 | 07 | 1.07 | |
During BHU's Dead Week, Caitlin tries to get her academic life in order, as well as elevate her relationship with Jeremy. Ava reluctantly teams up with Zach on a school assignment and Dylan's nerve damage impacts an important music project. Ali continues to make inroads with Taylor, while Mona investigates who left her a mysterious message. | ||||
Hook, Line and Booker | May 8, 2019 | 08 | 1.08 | |
Mona, Ali and the Perfectionists concoct a plan to turn the tables on Dana Booker. Ali and Mona separately try to deduce how much they can trust Taylor as part of their team. Caitlin is left reeling when she finds out Jeremy may be keeping secrets of his own. | ||||
Lie Together, Die Together | May 15, 2019 | 09 | 1.09 | |
On the night of a school gala, the gang is convinced they know who killed Nolan and set out to prove it. However, Dana continues to complicate their lives by exposing a critical secret between the Perfectionists. | ||||
Enter the Professor | May 22, 2019 | 10 | 1.10 | |
In the aftermath of a shocking event, Ali, Mona and the Perfectionists try to pick up the pieces of their lives. However, new information is uncovered which makes them question everything they think they know. |
Gallery
Videos
Official Trailers
- Welcome to Beacon Heights University, Mona Vanderwaal.
- Here we go. Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists in 15 seconds via @SashaPieterse.
- Secrets make sense here, @hayleyerin13. This is #PLLThePerfectionists after all. 😝
- Sofia Carson talks PLL: The Perfectionists & Ava Jaliai
- Ride or Die.
- Graeme Thomas King talks PLL: The Perfectionists and Jeremy Beckett
- Crazy Mona, is that you?